Resources Menu

Global Navigation

Overview of CS Courses

Computer Science

Major, Concentrations

Overview of Courses

Curriculum diagram and index key

The following diagram summarizes the structure of St. Olaf’s course offerings in CS, and also the requirements for a CS major. Each circled code represents a course: the key for these codes serves as an index for accessing course descriptions. Key

CS 225 — CS1+, Accelerated Principles of Computer ScienceBrief description: Accelerated version covering the material of both CS1 and SD, for persons with substantial prior programming experience in C++, Java, or a similar language. [More…]Prerequisites: Equivalent of high school Advanced Placement credit in Computer Science, or consent of instructor Note: Satisfies [AQR]; proposed for [WRI].

Foundation courses — Intermediate

CS 241 — HD, Hardware DesignBrief description: Exploration of the internal design of computer hardware, including circuit design at the “digital logic” level, CPU design, comparison of Pentium and other CPUs, assembly language, and machine-level implementation of popular high-level programming languages.[More…]Prerequisites:CS1 or CS1+, or consent of instructor

CS 251 — SD, Software Design and ImplementationBrief description: A study of software design practices that also develops solid programming skills in C++ language (introduced in this course). Includes substantial daily homework; weekly lab meetings; and a structured team project using typical software development methodology.[More…]Prerequisites:CS1, or consent of instructor Note: Proposed for [WRI].

Core courses

CS 253 — ADS, Algorithms and Data StructuresBrief description: Standard algorithms and strategies for organizing data, as used in general software development. [More…]Prerequisites:SD, or consent of instructor

CS 263 — ESD, Ethical Issues in Software DesignBrief description: Ethical and social considerations inherent in computing systems, focusing on actual extended case studies and practical models for ethical analysis. Builds on an “insider’s” understanding of how software is developed (from SD). [More…]Prerequisites:SD, or consent of instructor Note: Proposed for [EIN] and [ORC]

CS 273 — OS, Operating SystemsBrief description: Design of computer operating systems, including process management, file systems, input/output, and memory management. Examines the Linux operating system in detail, including source code, as well as design of Windows; projects include modifications of the Linux kernel. [More…]Prerequisites:SD and HD, or consent of instructor

CS 276 — PL, Programming LanguagesBrief description: A study of typical features of computer programming languages, together with an ongoing project in which students build a programming language of their own that implements those features. [More…]Prerequisites:SD and HD, or consent of instructor

CS 333 — TC, Theory of ComputationBrief description: Examination of the theoretical foundations and limitations of computing, applicable to encryption and program design. Finite state automata, complexity, regular expressions, etc. [More…]Prerequisites:MFC, or consent of instructor Note: Counts as an elective in the Mathematics major.

CS 315 — BI, BioinformaticsBrief description: First offering of a team-taught interdisciplinary course in Bioinformatics; one of the profs is an expert from France. Offered in collaboration with Biology and with Biomedical Studies. See also Bioinformatics information page. [More…]Prerequisites:CS1 and either SD or Biology 125, or consent of instructor. Different people will be bringing different training, interests, and abilities to this interdisciplinary course—we hope for a balance of CS and non-CS students. Note: This course also counts towards Biology Major, Mathematics Major (applied course), CS Major, CS Concentration, and Molecular Biology Concentration. (!)

CS 336 — LP, Logic ProgrammingBrief description: Exploring a type of programming that is heavily used in Artificial Intelligence. [More…]Prerequisites:ADS or PL, or consent of instructor

CS 350 — ATP, Advanced Team ProjectBrief description: Team projects, usually with an interdisciplinary emphasis. [More…]Prerequisites: One CS core course with implementation

ID 259– ID 259, HiPerCiC Collaborative Web ApplicationsBrief description: Creating custom software to support the research and/or teaching of professors in non-CS “domains” (disciplines) of application, using the HiPerCiC software framework. See also ID 259 information page. [More…]Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Different people will be bringing different training, interests, and abilities to this interdisciplinary course, which includes CS students with SD and domain students having no prior experience with CS. Note: This course satisfies [WRI], and counts as an elective in the CS Major.